Hubris
by HK-Revan
Summary: AU  The seal was created by a man with all the failings that humanity brings. Naruto gets a new friend. Sarutobi gets a headache. And the Kyuubi has to deal with them all.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ah, I am back. Well, as much back as I could get. Anyways, I've decided to write this prologue. It's based on an idea that I've seen floating around. About Naruto and Kyuubi and children growing up. And how things change and how things don't change. Anyways, I'm toying with this.

So this is a prologue. A beginning of sorts. Maybe an end if no one likes it. Anyways I'm going to see, well if my writing spirit is back.

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><p><em>A few days before<em>

Naruto sat on the swing, alone as always. Every time he had tried to go play with the other kids, he was rebuffed. No matter what he did, no one stayed. Some did play with him but then their parents would take them away. He gripped the rope, head hanging. Why wouldn't anyone play with him?

After a few minutes of self pity, he left the swing to run back to his apartment. Naruto hated crying, as it did nothing for him. Besides crying was for babies.

When he went back, standing on his tippy toes to unlock his door, he was alerted to movement in his small apartment. There was shuffling sounds. Carefully, stealthily, Naruto sneaked along the wall and towards the noise. An intruder!

Pretending to be one of the ninja he'd seen walking in the village, he leaped out from around the corner laddle raised high, "HIYAH!"

His choice of weapon smacked the intruder with a loud thwack. Encouraged by this, Naruto continued the motion. Eventually he opened his eyes realizing that despite the sounds of success, the intruder was still standing there.

"Eh?" He raised his hand, pointing. "Who the hell are you?" His ineffectual weapon was still at at the ready.

The intruder stared at him, before speaking. "Your room- mate." He said after a long pause.

"EH!" His weapon clattered to the ground, forgotten. "Room mate?"

A nod.

His blue eyes widened, as a huge smile spread across his face. "Do you want to be my friend?"

Another quiet stare.

"It's okay if you don't want to." Naruto said quickly, not wanting to alienate the other.

The other still stared quietly, his stare unnerving Naruto greatly. It was different from what he's used to, and creepier. It was the longest minute of Naruto's life.

"If I become your friend, am I still your roommate?" Naruto's answer was a hug, as all that exuberance and joy threatened to infect the other. It was an awkward hug, as only one person was actively hugging and the other was acting much like a tree.

It didn't matter. Naruto got a friend and a roommate. It was the best day of his life.

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><p>It wasn't-this wasn't supposed to happen. The tall ANBU stared at the puddles of blood, at the body that lied stretched on the ground. He knew who this person was, a civilian who had a week prior attacked Naruto with a bottle. This man had lost his wife and two children to the Kyuubi. He used to be a brilliant blacksmith, making weapons that were unparalleled. But now he is dead. The gaping wound in his chest told him everything he needed. This was but one of the many incidences that involved the jinchuriki. This incident however was the first one to end with a death.<p>

His gaze shifted to the child. Naruto-his charge. The seven year old looked-no he was simply terrified. The dried crust of blood on his face and neck seem to indicate that he had something to do with this. But a simple glance at his hands revealed not a drop of blood. His innocence in this matter was quite clear, as was his fear. The boy was frozen in his spot, finding nothing comforting to hide behind. ANBU were not comforting figures to run to, especially for a seven year old child.

The bag of groceries lied forgotten near the wall, it's innards spilled out. Naruto got some money from the orphan bill, enough for food and a bit of pocket money. It should be enough to get decent food, healthy food that a child needs. However, from what he'd seen the store owners tended to stiff Naruto and sell him food that is close to expiring. Once in a while, when he made enough money, he would restock Naruto's fridge. It was hard on his pay grade but it made the guilt easier to ignore. And he wasn't the only one who would sneak in at the middle of the night, to replace spoiled vegetables. There was a lot of guilt to go around.

"Naruto." His voice was sharp, not at all comforting. The boy looked up, his blue eyes wide and glassy from crying. "Come here." He softened his voice, as to not frighten the boy.

The orange clad child took a step forward, only to stop as a hand took his holding him in place. Naruto froze in place, uncertain as to what to do. Stuck between two unyielding forces, he was at a loss as to how to proceed.

The ANBU was uncertain in how to proceed. He could easily incapacitate the stranger but judging how Naruto deferred to him, looked to the stranger for answers he knew it was not the best plan. Caution was the best plan at the moment.

"Dog." Bird mask spoke, "It's getting late." It wasn't his words that Dog was paying attention to, as much as it was his fingers.

Dog made his decision, as the captain of the group it was up to him to command. He crouched, and yet still he towered over Naruto. "Naruto, can you tell me what happened?"

The blue eyed, whiskered child nodded. "I was playing outside." He began, still shaken up from what had happened a few minutes prior. "And it was getting dark, and I knew I had to get back home before it gets dark and then he-and then." Naruto sniffled, trying to master his emotions. The little boy had promised to stop crying, because he knew it would do nothing.

"Something hit me." He continued, rubbing his face subconsciously. The cut that had been there ten minutes prior was already healing. It used to be a gash that had revealed bone. "And then he was on the ground and I didn't do anything. Promise. I didn't-"

His eyes were so bright and blue, reminding Dog of a familiar person whose eyes were just as bright and just as warm. But that was the past, and the pain that belonged there were supposed to stay there. He looks just like you sensei, Dog thought.

The communicator strapped to his neck crackled, bringing him out of his memories. New orders. They've been dawdling long enough, the dead man's body had already cooled. The Konoha police are to arrive soon to deal with the body and file a report that won't ever be seen. Normally a situation such as this would be finished, the body destroyed or brought back to headquarters. But they were uncertain as to how to proceed. It was mainly due to an unforeseen situation.

"Naruto, you have to come with me to the Hokage tower."

The boy perked up, his eyes widening. "We're gonna see jiji?" Dog almost cringed at that. The Hokage had taken to the nickname with good grace, accepting it with a broad smile. Others have been killed for less.

"Yes, we're going to see Hok-jiji." Dog really did try not to wince as he spoke.

"Can my friend come too?" The seven year old turned to his 'friend', beaming.

"Yes, him too." Curt. Calm. Dog felt his fingers curl tightly forming into a fist. "Want to introduce your friend to us?"

Naruto positively beamed at that. "Yeah, this is-"

"Naruto." Ah, and so the friend speaks. The other boy's grip on Naruto's wrist remained even as he spoke. Throughout the whole conversation, he hadn't let Naruto go at all. The bloody hand print on his shirt told his tale far better than anything Naruto could ever say.

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" The container of the Kyuubi grinned at the other, determined to at the very least introduce his only friend to the adults. Naruto wasn't afraid of them, they looked scary but they were nice to him. Nicer than most people. His exuberant grin did not falter even in the face of the flat look that was sent back.

Contrary to popular opinion, Naruto was not a child eating demon. He was a sacrifice, an example of how far a love for one's village can go. He is the legacy of the fourth, and one day everyone will know that. But at the moment, he is a secret. There are many who would want to kill the son of the fourth, Naruto's father had earned many enemies.

Dog could hear the impatience as orders were once more snapped to him, his squad already in movement. One grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his shirt, not being at all gentle with her movements. As for the other, two ANBU surrounded him, dragging him along in their teleportation jutsu. Dog vanished last, to cover for the squad's movements.

They arrived at the Hokage's tower easily, without resistance. They teleported to the office, blurring into view before melting into the shadows as proper ANBU were supposed to. The two boys were left behind, in the middle of the office. The office was full of scrolls and ink.

"Naruto-kun." Sarutobi's warm grandfather voice broke the silence, and soon Naruto's gleeful shout followed after. The boy ran up to the Hokage, reaching up to hug him. "You look well." The Hokage's visits were always met with squeals of glee and many hugs. It was sadly one of the highlights of Naruto's week.

Sarutobi easily lifted Naruto, propping him on his knee. "Now what brings you here?" In an attempt to get anything important, they had decided on this ruse. It wasn't to get information out of Naruto, as much as it was to gauge the reaction of the 'friend'.

Speaking of the foreign nin, the other child watched this entire exchange without batting an eye. From the shadow, Dog really didn't know what to make of the boy. The Hyuuga on his team had already verified that it wasn't a foreign nin and if it were, they were very skilled. But not skilled enough. Any spy would know better than to try to befriend a boy who is watched by ANBU. Any spy would know better than to kill in broad day light and not bother to hide the evidence. A spy would at least try to appear amicable.

The strange boy watched as Sarutobi placed a sleeping jutsu on the yellow haired child, and the ANBU squad as one tensed, hands drifting to their weapons. Everything about that kid unnerved them, the way he moved and the way he presented himself screamed unnatural. And the swiftness of his strike, as he gutted the poor man.

With the sleeping Naruto resting on his desk and out of the way, Sarutobi faced the Other with the full weight of his years behind him. There was no kindness in his eyes, only the authority of Hokage and the intent to protect. There was no killing intent, yet.

"And now for you." Sarutobi took out his pipe from his desk, lighting it. His actions betrayed nothing of his intent. To anyone else, this would seem to be nothing worth noting. Just a meeting between an old man and a child. "What is your purpose?"

The object of his questioning tilted his head, much like a bird would. Bright blue eyes stared back at Sarutobi, his form as if a mockery. The bright blond hair stood out against the paint of the walls, framing his face. He looked so much like that _man. _It hurt to look at him.

"And why have you taken on that form, Kyuubi no Yoko."

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><p>AN: And that is the prologue. Well I hope you guys like it. Tell me what you think.


	2. And a deal is struck

A/N: Continuing this :D

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not mine. Not mine. Well darn.

Plot Idea: We have a lot of Kyuubi fics where Naruto's friends etc. And most of those has a lot of words like kit and precious, etc. I'm planning to turn that upside its head. Well try to. My idea is that Kyuubi is not human, he may have been stuck in humans but he's never a human. He won't understand them. And this hinders how he acts and thinks. And also, fingers. Oooh, thumbs.

And his former jailers. Does anyone really think he won't remember them? Or what they have seen? And how they have affected him? Her? It. I'll settle with it.

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><p>It has been some time since Kyuubi had been in a corporal form. The short moments of sweet freedom were tainted by the inability to command his own body. And if he were to get back a body, it should be his own and not this replica of the man that sealed him.<p>

Kyuubi didn't respond at first at the questions, he was busy with other matters of more importance. It didn't stop him from catching the kunai, cutting his fingers in the process. Ah right, from the memories that he gleaned from his jailer's lives you were supposed to catch it by the hilt.

Blood. It dripped from his fingers, red as his chakra. Slowly it fell to the floor near his feet, staining the floor.

"Why that form?" Ah, the monkey summoner was speaking to him still.

Because he deemed it so, he replied. "Why not?" Truthfully he didn't know why he woke up like this, outside of his cage. Best not to tell the hairless monkeys. Weakness tend to get preyed upon.

Humans were so foolish, to think that they could plan everything. Things happen that could ruin the best laid plans. It was the same reason why he was here. If he planned anything, it would to get away from this thrice cursed human settlement. And to hunt Madara down and kill him.

Unconsciously he bared his teeth, the thought of killing made him happy. His killing intent swelled, leaking out of his diminutive body. It quickly filled the tiny room, bringing with it a strong pressure and a horrifying familiarity. He will kill that little traitor- _for the glory of Konoha._ (Wait. What?). His lips curled in a snarl. So, his jailers still manage to make his existence difficult. Their residual memories and feelings remained in him.

Humans.

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><p>Sarutobi remained unperturbed by the killing intent that appeared. At the very least, his ANBU were able to erect a barrier to keep it hidden from the other shinobi in the village. The last thing he needed was a swarm of concerned and terrified ninja running in. He had a feeling it would spook the biju and start a fight they might not be able to win.<p>

From what he could tell, the seal was not broken. In fact, he was completely clueless as to why the Kyuubi was here. And in that form. Naruto's chakra coils were perfectly fine. And...Kyuubi's chakra were still inside Naruto. So what was this? Who was the child standing before him?

Abruptly the killing intent vanished, making it a lot easier to breathe. And still the figure standing in the middle of the room had not moved an inch. It gave Sarutobi a perfect moment to study the boy. He looked exactly like Minato and no doubt if he grew up, he would be a carbon copy of the fourth hokage. A dangerous face indeed to wear now after the war.

"Kyuubi."

A small smile appeared on Mina-Kyuubi's face. "Call me Mito." He spoke far more formally than any child should unless they were to be clan heads in training. Perhaps it was just how a demon spoke. Not that anyone really knows.

"Mito?" Immediately Sarautobi recognized the significance of the name. The first container of the Kyuubi.

"Why not?" The demon met his eyes evenly, arrogance showing. "It's better than Minato is it not?" That he could speak so freely and without guilt, it rankled the Third Hokage. Something must of showed, because the demon merely smirked.

"You humans." The fox spun the kunai in his grip slowly. "Cling to your dead as if it matters." It closed bright blue eyes, speaking still without a trace of humility. "Erecting a monument to them, as if anyone will remember them or their 'noble sacrifice'. "

"Even this body-will be forgotten."

"You're wrong." Why was it that Sarutobi felt like he was speaking to an older man and not to an ignorant demon? Why was it that he sounded so young to himself? "Their sacrifice will never be forgotten."

Kyuubi stared at Sarutobi with nothing by the centuries of human existence backing him up.

With such a heavy topic, it was wise to move onto another one.

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><p>"What is your purpose? What do you plan on gaining?" If the Kyuubi believed he would be able to influence Naruto without them knowing, he was sorely mistaken. Naruto is on constant watch by the ANBU, mainly for his own protection. The pain of losing a child drives many to do horrible things. First the orphanage kicked Naruto out, which was why he lived in his own apartment by himself. The only thing the Third could do was give Naruto some guardians.<p>

"To raze this pathetic village to the ground." Sarutobi bristled, bringing his own considerable killing intent to bear.

Their stand off lasted for a minute, neither back down.

It took but a second for Sarutobi to gain a new insight in this situation, and he relaxed, smiling to himself. He wasn't the Hokage for nothing. Everything made sense, and now it was time to plot his next few moves.

"Naruto's going to be joining the academy, I assume you'll be joining as well Mito-san?" His new relaxed state was quite jarring, as was the twinkle in his eye.

"No."

"May I ask why?"

"No."

"And how will you be able to protect him? You won't be able to move freely in the village as a civilian."

"Tch, do you really think I'll work well with children?" Mito turned his head, still scowling. The prospect of being around children for any length of time pissed him off. He did not have the patience to deal with them. At all. Nothing worse than miniature humans. He'd kill them all before the week ends.

"Not really." Sarutobi confessed.

"Hn." Mito tilted his head up to stare at the ceiling. Then his gaze drifted to the hidden ANBU. "I want to be one of them."

"Why?"

"That's the only way I can settle my bloodlust." He grinned, flashing teeth. "Unless you want me to start killing villagers? One for every night my request is unfulfilled."

"Only one problem..." Amid others but this one should keep the demon preoccupied. "You're too short."

"What?"

"ANBU have strict policies regarding who joins. You're a bit under the minimal requirement." Sarutobi lied through his teeth, as if that would help. It would give him time to figure out how to manuever around Danzo and the council.

Mito grimaced, looking at his small hands. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was rather short. His height wouldn't hamper in how he kills but in this body he'll have to reevaluate how he was to kill people. No longer could he swish his tails and crush mountains. Not to mention the majority of his chakra was still restrained behind the seal. It was a small mercy that he was able to take this form, with the limited chakra it had.

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><p>After the demon and vessel left, the ANBU revealed themselves. All were dismissed but two. "What do you think, Kakashi?" Sarutobi looked at the young ANBU Captain, smoke curling around his face. "Yamato?"<p>

The two shinobi looked at each other, both were quite uncertain in how to proceed.

"Sir, are you really going to let the demon in ANBU?" Yamato asked hesistantly.

"Of course." Sarutobi took the pipe out of his mouth, wrinkled fingers gripping the handle. "When you become Captain."

"Ah...Hokage-sir." Yamato didn't really know what to say now. Even if his bloodline ability gave him an advantage with the seal, it did nothing to help him against the demon itself. A part of him was proud that already the Hokage was considering him for the captain position. And another dreading leading a team that had the Kyuubi in it. "It's not my place but..."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course sir!" Chorused both shinobi without a second thought.

"Then trust in that I'm doing the right thing." Sarutobi certainly hoped so. "Dismissed."

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><p>The following day, the Academy was joined by two blondes.<p>

"Hi I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen and pranks and I'm going to be the greatest Hokage ever!" Naruto yelled loudly and happily. He was one step closer to his dream. Decked out in his orange jumpsuit, a present from the old man, he looked like a moving target.

The other blond, nearly identical to the vessel spoke next. "I cam called Uzumaki Mito." The conversation prior to this involved lots of hugging. It was fairly annoying. "My dream is to kill a certain man." At least with Naruto hogging all the orange, he didn't have to deal with the eye glaring color. He already had enough problems already to deal with.

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><p>AN: And the plot is revealed! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.


	3. With some revisions

A/N: Continuing this :D

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not mine. Not mine. Well darn.

So this part, and perhaps the next chapter will explore Naruto's early life. Well close to when he graduates. Now I was struggling with how to change the way..things work. And yet, how things don't change.

And about the truth of Kyuubi's body.

To KYLE M:

I love you. I just love you. You make me feel all warm inside. I shall try to fix my problems, grammar and the whole-stilted thing. Well, some of the stilted stuff. I do attempt to make "Mito" a bit awkward. He's not human, so..that's the entire point. Naruto with all his antics is human and is affected by what others do and say around him. Mito tries just not to get pissed off and killing people because he could. And yes, the chapters are going to be a bit slow. It's to build up certain hints.

Anyways, I hope that this chapter is a lot better. It's more like a series of oneshots. Tied together.

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><p>The glowing blue sphere thrummed quietly in his palm. Mito dismissed it, another of his ideas confirmed. "This must be the God's idea of irony." He seethed, growling under his breath.<p>

The sun just rose, bringing with it the first rays of dawn.

"Miiiito!" Naruto's voice announced his arrival better than the loud clanking that followed him.

Mito allowed himself to slide down from his perch, to the ground where the other boy appeared a scant few seconds later.

"Naruto, what are you doing with that rope. And that bucket of paint." Mito feared that this might be another of Naruto's hair brained schemes. "Isn't it examination day?"

It was beneath Mito to graduate as a genin. He was just here to keep a close eye on Naruto. As long as Naruto is still in the academy, Mito will stay as well irregardless of what everyone else thinks. It was still such a pain.

"Yep!" Naruto didn't seem at all concerned at all. He tossed the bucket at Mito. "If we get this finished quickly we can arrive in time for results!"

For some reason, Mito felt just a smidgen of worry and concern. "Don't you want to graduate?" He lived with the blond 24/7 and all he would talk about is becoming Hokage. For him to skip the exams was unusual.

"There's always next year." And with that, Naruto raced off. "Come on!"

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><p>"Hokage-sama!" Sarutobi was very tempted, right then and there to crush all the whining voices in his office with his killing intent. But he reigned himself in. Silently he prayed it wasn't about Naruto.<p>

"It's Naruto! He defaced the Hokage momument. Again!"

Twice this week in fact, he's in rare form. Something must of set him off. Today is the day of the graduation examinations. That must be it.

With his hat properly on, and his coat he got up, brushing the dust from his knees. "Well, let's see how bad it is."

Sarutobi decided to take the scenic way, walking slowly, speaking to some random shinobi as he went. It wasn't as if the child could do any permanent damage.

When he finally got to the roof top, he finally understood why the messenger sounded so worried. "...Even my face too."

Naruto had tied himself with some rope and an anchor and was writing obscene symbols on the rock face. And just a few meters on top was Mito. Mito was taking extra care in defacing Yondaime's image. It was to be expected. At least the obscenities were quite obscure and from other countries.

"Hokage-sama." Sarutobi needn't to turn, as he had recognized the voice.

"Bring them both down and return them to their class."

"Sir."

Two blurs vanished overhead.

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><p>"WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING!"<p>

The two blondes were tied up with their own rope, still sitting from where the ANBU plopped them down.

"The Yondaime looks awesome with a mustache!" Naruto's boisterous answer only made the teacher swear.

Clearly they weren't thinking at all.

"I expected better out of you Mito!"

"I got bored."

"THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE!" Iruka looked like he was going to have a heart attack. Or at the very least, string both boys upside down a well. "Because of that, both of you will have to clean the Hokage monument and you're not going home until you're done."

"That's not fair!"

The loud jeering from the graduating students didn't help the situation. To them it must of been entertainment. They had passed and were now going to be full adults in their village.

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><p>"Hrm." The reports lied on his desk. "Mito-san is a prodigy on paper, although..."<p>

"He has one fault." Iruka muttered, rubbing the scar on his face. "He has absolutely no accuracy. In close combat he's a nightmare but... He manages to hit something but it's not always the right thing. Or it's in the wrong place. It's like he's not used to throwing things."

"Hrm." Sarutobi thumbed through the papers. From what the various instructors written, he could guess a few other faults. Many that were fatal. Which was good if he had to restrain the demon.

"Aside from that, he's ranked in the top bracket of his class. If he didn't skip the graduation examination he'd be on a genin team right now!" Iruka took a deep breath. He was doing this for Mito's sake. And not because...not because..of his own selfish reasons.

"Sir it's in my opinion Naruto is keeping Mito behind. I want to seperate them into different classrooms."

Sarutobi removed the pipe, placing it on a holder on his desk. He picked up the papers, placed them back in order on his weathered desk. He did this in silence, not bothering to look at Iruka until he was done. And when he was, he fixed the teacher with a stern gaze.

"Do you really think that is the best option?" Sarutobi leaned forward in his chair. "There is a reason why we rarely break up siblings in different classes. I think as Naruto's only living relative Mito wants to keep him company. Even if he has to graduate late. And I think..."

"Sir?"

"Naruto knows it too, which is why he's been working harder. He may be clumsy, but Naruto's a bright boy." In a softer voice, mainly to himself. "Like his father."

If Iruka heard it, he said nothing. "Sir." Iruka had other things to think about.

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><p>This was so boring. So boooooring. Naruto scrubbed at the paint with his towel, grumbling under his breath. When he becomes Hokage, he'll make Iruka wash this up. When he becomes Hokage everyone will acknowledge him. And he'll get to wear the hat and people will call him 'sir'.<p>

"Oi, Naruto!"

"Sensei?" There was Iruka, sitting one of the ridges. What was he doing here? Didn't he live at the Academy?

"Do you want to go eat ramen after you're done? My treat."

"YAH!" Naruto looked up. "Mito do you-"

"No." The older boy, looked down meeting Naruto's gaze. "You know I hate ramen."

"Bu-bu!" Naruto's lower lip quivered as his eyes grew large and moist. "It taste the best when I'm with you."

A sigh can be heard. "Okay. Okay. Stop making that face."

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><p>Once the monument was cleaned up, Iruka did live up to his promise. "This is the best!" Naruto gobbled up his first bowl in quick succession and then the next. Iruka could see his wages vanish with each swallow. Thankfully, Mito ate slowly and only one bowl. Now that they were outside the school, Iruka saw his students in a different light.<p>

Without being under the scrutiny of other students, Naruto's body language was relaxed. And..to Iruka's surprise he was a lot more quiet. While in deep contrast, Mito had sat between Iruka and Naruto and never let Iruka out of sight. The way he sits, and sometimes...he's like a statue. But other times, he reminds Iruka of someone...he wasn't sure who Mito reminds him of. But his face greatly resembles that of the Yondaime, come to think of it both boys shared that man's face. Then again, many of the villagers here share a similar bloodline not as inbreed as the clans but somewhat similar.

"Done!" Naruto placed the empty bowl onto the counter.

"Naruto, what's that?" A metallic key chain rested on the chair.

"It's a seal that Mito made me for my birthday! It works better than a key!" Naruto claimed the small seal quickly, tucking it into his pocket. He grinned up at Iruka, a smile that seems impossible to have. "Thanks for the dinner. I really appreciate it."

And then he ran off. "Mito! Wait up!"

"Huh."

Iruka whirled around, kunai at the ready only to stop. "Ka-Kakashi?"

The jonin blinked his single visible eye. "Yeah?"

"STOP DOING THAT!"

"Oh..sorry, it was just I was lost on the road to life..."

"That's the wrong excuse."

"That seal..." Already lost in his own thoughts, Iruka was ignored much to his displeasure.

* * *

><p>Ah, here he was again standing before a senile old man. Explaining himself, again. When did he become such a lapdog for the human? Speaking of said human, the monkey summoner was just sitting there looking at him.<p>

"Oi..." Time ticked on. "Why am I here?"

"Kyuubi." Finally he speaks, hands resting on the desk. "There has been a few people who have gone missing."

And now it was Kyuubi's turn to play the silent game.

"Villagers. This was not part of our agreement."

Blue eyes the color of the sky during midday remained unerringly open stared at Sarutobi. His mouth opened and the words came out," One for each night."

The kunai pierced Kyuubi's shoulder, and another his forehead. The body vanished into smoke before it eve hit the ground. The room was empty.

Behind!

Small hands gripped his wrist, the pressure threatening to snap old bones.

"Ah...but don't you remember?" His grip was insane, and his speed...unheard of. "It wasn't much of a deal anyways."

"How-"

"You really think I won't remember?" It was quite easy to see just how inhuman the demon was, once he dropped all pretenses. "I see everything my hosts does."

How terrifying. Sarutobi realized in that second just how many secrets the demon knew. Shit. He didn't expect this. He should have jailed this being, hide them deep within the ANBU's cells. If captured...or even without being captured, the village's safety could be compromised

Blurs filled the room, as the ANBU came to their leader's rescue. It was too late by then.

The scene that greeted them were of Mito lying flat on his back, the sharp end of a katana resting on his chest. "You are two thousand years too young to defeat me." Sarutobi chuckled, glancing at the ANBU that had filled the room. "...What are you doing here? Think I can't take care of a young academy student? Hah! This old man still has tricks up his sleeves."

Properly chastised the ANBU vanished back into the shadow.

"Heh..." Blood dribbled slowly down Sarutobi's front, staining his clothes. "You certainly have Minato's speed."

The demon under his blade gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed. A scroll landed on his chest, near his face.

"Your first mission." Sarutobi continued to speak. "You said you wanted to join ANBU did you not?" This was the only possibly avenue at the time. He moved the sword, sheathing it.

Kyuubi sat up, still breathing heavily. The genjutsu that was cast hid the wounds and the blood splatter from their little fight. He opened the mission scroll, smearing a bit of his blood on the paper.

"I'll be gone for some time."

"Yes."

"Then I must pass. I can't let my vessel out of my sights."

"Do you trust us that little?"

"Yes."

A sigh, followed by a deep breath.

"As an ANBU you are under my direct order." The voice held steel in it and the promise of pain. "I have acquiesced to your request. If you refuse my generous offer, I will have you detained. You may be a demon but we humans have learned the art of torture well. You do well to remember that."

"Already you are within my grasp." The shadows loomed in the dark room. "And you have have no choice in the matter."

"Your gear will be waiting for you at the gate, as will the team that'll be shadowing you."

A white blur flew through the room, neatly caught in Kyuubi's unharmed left hand. "Your mask."

The white porcelain face of a fox stared up at him.

* * *

><p>"Where are you going?" Naruto was understandable worried. His cousin had packed his stuff, without telling him and was leaving. Without telling him.<p>

"Mission."

"Whaaat!" Naruto grabbed Mito's arm, stopping him from moving. His body was still sore from the fight. "Why are you going on a mission? Can I come?"

"No."

The look on Naruto's face nearly broke...(_Shit. Shit. This shouldn't be affecting him._) Against his better judgement he rested his other hand on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair. "No. No. Yes. No. Six months. No. Yes."

"That wasn't fair." The grip on his arm tightened, as pleading eyes searched his. "I'm going to miss you."

"..." The Kyuubi no Yoko reached forward and hugged his vessel. "I know."

He could feel Naruto shaking. Ah, it was to be expected. Naruto was going to be alone (_we must fill the vessel with love_).

"When I return I expect you to have graduated. No slacking off." He withdrew, the headband around his neck shinning in the light. "It'll be your birthday present to me."

"Urk." Yes, Naruto knew his last attempts were poor to say the least. Personally he thought that the picture he drew was a work of art. "Okay."

Mito rested his hand on the door handle, keying the seal. At least now he'll have a chance to kill people with impunity. Nothing like dead humans to brighten up his day. It should keep the voices at bay at the very least.

He turned it, raising his hand. "Goodbye."

"Come back soon." The closing door shut out the light from the noon day soon. Leaving Naruto in the darkened apartment room.

* * *

><p>AN: Despite Kyuubi's attempts at distancing himself it is hard to play the mask without becoming it. Naruto is strange that way, to be able to get people to like him even after hating him.

And Sarutobi shows once again he isn't someone to be mocked or attacked at random.


	4. Fast Forward

A/N: Continuing this :D

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not mine. Not mine. Well darn.

And now for a time skip of sorts. I've set the stage, with Naruto being alone again and the Hokage changing all the pass codes again. And the meeting places. Then again, if the Kyuubi turns into his true form that really won't matter now would it?

But he tries. Besides it keeps Danzo on his toes.

Anyways, this will probably be a bit hard and a bit...cookie cutter to the manga. I mean, Mizuki was a turning point in Naruto's life. He's important, the way cancer is. It teaches you a lesson that you won't forget. And festers like a boil or chemo. Anyways...some more Iruka, perhaps those nameless ANBU might survive?

To KYLE:

Happy Birthday? I guess?

Anyways, well you're right in the battle bit. The old man is old but a kid shouldn't be able to beat him right? What's to say Sarutobi didn't use that moment as a way to gauge how much a threat the Kyuubi was. As for his quick development, let's just say those powers don't come without a price. And he is still tied to Naruto, still bound to the seal. He just doesn't know how much. And I..will slow that down, as to give out even more hints!

Anyways, as for those poor ANBU...well people don't like killing kids off? So they do nameless...folks.

Some would say Iruka wouldn't be Iruka without him having no parents. I say it could be done. I'll leave that in the air at the moment.

As for Naruto..in my opinion the way he was in the manga was because of his childhood. His stubbornness and ill manners. He's better off in the manga really, because right now he has a crutch one that might eat him given a chance. With Mito gone, he'll be able to..stand on his own two feet...somewhat.

Ah, and that seal. It'll be too easy for Kyuubi to know how to break himself out now wouldn't it? :D Don't worry, that is being taken cared of.

* * *

><p><em>A few years ago:<em>

When Naruto first met his cousin, he was surprised and then very happy. He wasn't alone anymore, he had a relative who wanted to be with him. Who wanted him around. He didn't care how weird Mito acted. He didn't care that sometimes Mito came home with blood under his fingernails. Mito was just training that's all, even if there was not a mark on his body.

Children tend to cling to familiar things, to safe things. And for Naruto, for the first time there was someone to cling to. When he was a very young child, he remembered a few things that he would confide to, a toy or sometimes to a sympathetic adult. But now, as he got older his world shrunk as the number of people who would listen to him vanished. But now, his world included one extra person. Someone who would listen to him talk and play with him. Well, mostly listen and watch him play.

Mito was like himself, his parents were killed during the attack. And he'd been through a few homes before finding out that Naruto was alive. Lady luck has smiled down on Naruto and gave him what he needed most-a stable familiar person to return to. Even if that guy was weird.

It was hard to describe how he felt about Mito in the beginning. Affection first, of course and curiosity. But fear too.

What if Mito left him? And this fear grew as they went through the academy. Mito was so great and skilled. But what he also noticed was the awkwardness. He noticed that Mito always held him at arm's length, at a distance. You can't hug people at a distance. You could tackle them however.

He tried at first hugging Mito, and then hoping to feel that hug back. But every time he did so, he felt nothing.

Every time he was rebuffed.

The fear of rejection simply deepened the fear of abandonment.

So Naruto pestered and pestered. He was very good at making people notice him, whether they wanted to or not. He ambushed his cousin, tackling him to the floor. And when that stopped working, he just never stopped. He just got sneakier about it.

One such incident left Mito with a gash on his face, as he had been successfully ambushed.

"BOY!" The killing intent flooded the small training area, silencing all the animals. "You little-"

But Naruto was already gone, he having fled the area running around the trees back to his apartment. The eyes that looked at him were far worse than the villager's eyes. There was hate in those eyes, it stabbed into him-made him breathless with fear. He huddled under his blanket, as if it would protect him.

"Naruto...come out." The cover was pulled back, a pair of blue eyes peering at his. "..Get out."

A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him out, despite his protests.

Naruto shouted, more like screamed. "Do you hate me? Is that why you're never there?" He was close to sobbing as well, his body trembling."You never smile!"

It has been a long time since he cried, and gods above it felt so good to let it all out.

Tears streamed down his face, as he lost all control. "Why won't you play with me?" _Please notice me._

"I..." His vision blurred. "Why won't..."

Through his blurry vision, he thought he saw someone bigger than him with red hair whose eyes were only filled with love. "Shhh." He felt arms wrap around him, and numbly he felt arms larger than any seven year old boy should have. He buried his head into a chest that was larger than his and squishier. And he cried for what seemed to be a long time. Long red hair tickled his neck and face.

And slowly, he was rocked to sleep by a scent too feminine for a boy of seven.

The next day, he didn't play alone.

* * *

><p>Naruto faced the empty apartment with a solitude and maturity that made him older than he seemed.<p>

Slowly he washed the dishes, stored the plates in the cupboard and began

And now he was gone, for a long time.

This place had once been filled with laughter, and soft breathing. Now there was only him and nothing to shield him from the darkness.

It wasn't that he lost something, as much as the darkness has come back and this time he's got a soft spot. And the whisperings got worse and more difficult to ignore.

_"Guess he decided to leave."_

_"Maybe he killed him."_

_"No one could stay with the brat that long." _

* * *

><p>It was a nice day to go to the bars. The brats at the academy were still acting like brats, but they were learning so at the very least he was doing his job. Even if it killed him. It was during his walk to a bar, that he noticed a familiar orange clad figure.<p>

Briefly the words of the Sandiame came back .

"Hey, Naruto!"

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Want to come eat with me?"

A brilliant smile filled Naruto's face only for it to dim. "I can't, I have food in the fridge." His smile then returned. "I'll make dinner...if you want."

"Sure."

Iruka followed Naruto back to his apartment, watching his student with appraising eyes. He was right, without his twin here Naruto has shrunk inward. His presence has diminished. When they got to the apartment, Iruka was happy that it didn't look as dingy as he feared. Inside, the apartment was relatively clean with scrolls and kunai tossed everywhere. Even without knowing his student's personal habits he could tell whose part of the room was whose.

On one side, a tornado has come past. On another, a bit cleaner but still very messy. Was that a potted plant?

He took his sandals off, placing them next to the door. "What are you making?"

"Beef ramen." Naruto skipped over to the well lit kitchen, opening the fridge.

Iruka stared, eyebrows raised. "Why is there so much meat and no veggies?"

"Rabbit food." Naruto could barely be seen over the counter.

And once more, Iruka was struck how young Naruto was and how desolate this apartment was. Despite it being inhabited by two people, it still retained a one person occupant charm.

"Rabbit food?"

"Yeah." A stepping stool was pulled out. "Meat and ramen are the bestt."

"You should eat veggies, it's good for you!"

A look was given, one that held only disbelief. "Right."

Iruka fidgeted, unsure if he should help. Obviously from what he could tell, this took two pairs of hands. Still very uncertain, he said nothing and nervously stood there. For nearly ten minutes he occupied himself with the next day's plans.

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto peered at him with curious eyes. "What are you doing?"

Iruka's face flushed with embarrassment. Naruto's small hands grabbed his, dragging him into the small kitchen. "Grab as much as you like!"

When the preparation were all done and they were seated at the table, steaming bowls of ramen on hand and ready to be eaten. It was still very quiet.

"So..uhh.." Smiles slightly, apprehension on his face. "I guess you might want to talk about your cousin."

"What ya mean?"

"About him graduating."

"Oh. That."

Naruto moodily poked at his ramens with his chopsticks.

Iruka took that as a signal to continue. "Since he's a genin now, I guess you won't be seeing him much. And I want to help you."

"Help?"

"Well, how else are you going to be a genin?"

"Really sensei?"

He sat straighter, now giving Iruka his full attention.

"However this doesn't mean I'm going to treat you differently from the other kids. Okay?"

"Yah!" That was all it took for Naruto to open and babble non stop about himself and his cousin.

* * *

><p><em>Now:<em>

Returning to Konoha didn't feel like he thought it would, like returning to a cage. Rather he found himself wondering about Naruto and how he's been. He vanished from his 'team', or rather what remained of them and ran back to their apartment.

Besides it too freaking long. After finishing one mission, they were given another. It's as if that old man wanted to keep him out. Piff, as if that'd stop him from sneaking in.

Mito slipped through an open window, crouching in the living room. He'd chucked his armor at the other humans, keeping only the mask. The majority of the blood was on his gear anyways, and he didn't want to drag blood into the apartment. Naruto might freak.

"Naruto?" The room smelled of Naruto and of...of a few other people. "Oi," He called out again.

"MITO!"

An orange blur slammed into him, knocking him back. Okay, maybe he wasn't as healed as he thought he was.

"Brat?" The bright blond mop of hair tickled his face. "Get off!"

"Hehehe."

Naruto pulled out a blue headband from his back pocket. "Look! I graduated!"

"Huh."

"Heeey..." And now Mito raised both eyebrows as a scheming looking appeared on Naruto's face. "Didn't you say that you'd take me to all you can eat ramen if I passed?"

"..." Mito did not recall this at all. "No."

And the_ Look_ appeared. "Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"...If you don't, I'll dye your hair pink." (_Red would be better)._

Mito's eye twitched.

"And I'll only buy orange clothes for a year." (_Red. Red. Red). _

Another eye twitch.

"And we'll be eating rabbit food too."

"When did you start threatening so well?" Grumbled Mito, as he caved in to Naruto's request.

Naruto just grinned, like the little imp that he was. "I'm a ninja now."

"Hrm."

It was only after a late dinner, did Mito realize that something was wrong. When they returned to the apartment, washed up and got ready for sleeping-that was when Naruto decided to open his heart.

* * *

><p>Naruto had found ti fit to ambush Mito in the bathroom. It was an enclosed space, the window was far too small to sneak out of and now that he was a ninja, he can block the door.<p>

Naruto started off by yelling, brashly, "Did you know? About what's inside me?"

"...Your stomach?"

Mito had such a bland look on his face, it was a relief.

"I killed our parents."

"...Really, right when you were a few hours old you managed to kill our parents?"

"Yes."

"Huh, wow." Still a bland flat look. "Well, time to go to sleep."

"I...I'm the holder of the Kyuubi." There he admitted. Now react dammit!

A stare.

"..It's okay if you want to hate me." Everyone else doesn't like him. His cousin had a right to be scared. To be angry and hateful.

The silence was deafening.

"Naruto, what happened. Explain. First."

So he did, just not about the crying. Boys don't cry, especially ninja. Even if he did see Iruka cry. That didn't count.

* * *

><p>After it was all said and done, with Naruto look like he was waiting for the world to crush him Mito honestly didn't know how to handle it. The little voice in the back of his head demanded he hug Naruto and reassure him. He told that little voice to go and die, like all others have done.<p>

"Do you hate them?"

"What?" Startled, Naruto blinked. "Hate them?"

"About what has happened to you. Do you hate them?"

_Just say yes, and I will show you a way to make the ground run red with blood._

"I don't know." An honest answer, annoying but honest.

All the tension deflated, leaving only only a demon with ideas of grandeur. That and a boy who only wanted to have friends.

"Well, once you figure that out, then we can talk about this." Mito made a vague notion with his hands. Personally the last thing Mito wanted was to talk about this. Why talk about a defeat? it would his hurt his ego.

"You don't hate me?"

"How could I?" The demon stared at the ceiling, and then at the tile floor. "To me, you're just my cousin. That's all."

Another hug.

"My idiotic little cousin."

I'm the real demon after all.

"Heeey! I'm not an idiot! You're a monkey's uncle!"

I'll destroy this precious village of yours.

"That didn't make sense."

And maybe, I'll let you come with me.

"Yes it did! Nyeah."

* * *

><p>AN: And another chapter! Whaaaooo...


	5. FF again!

A/N: Continuing this :D

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not mine. Not mine. Well darn.

Now hopefully something happens.

We get more insight on life during the mission and on Naruto's life in the village.

Things move along...hopefully. I think.

Yes.

Iruka plays an important part in Naruto's life, as he always have. Perhaps more so in this story, as Iruka shows Naruto, makes him a family outside of his blood. Not that Naruto knows that his dear cousin is...not really his cousin-as much.

* * *

><p>"You fight like a girl you know." Came the offhand comment.<p>

"...What?"

"You fight like a girl."

"Fffsss." Someone laughed.

"Hah, and you don't even deny it."

"You all..." His blade glinted in the light. "Want to die don't you."

"Shit. Run!"

The type of people who made up Kyuubi's team were those who had nothing left in Konoha. They were the death seekers, the one who go on suicidal missions. They were ready to die. No amount of therapy was going to change that. So it made sense for them to go with the demon. They expected no help, and none were given. In fact, Kyuubi even told them up front that if they fall behind then they can go fuck themselves. If they make his life miserable, or if they even piss him off they can go fuck themselves.

Basically, they could just go fuck themselves for all Kyuubi cared.

Despite that, the strangest trend occurred. With the demon on the team, suicidal missions were no longer suicidal. If anything the body count jumped, as Kyuubi took each mission as an opportunity to kill people. Be they rouge shinobi or some innocent farmer. He seemed to take an unusual liking in killing blondes and red heads. And people with black hair.

No, he had no preference. He just killed.

In Iwa, he had killed all of their targets. It didn't matter to him that two had begged for their lives. No, it just made the kill all the more sweeter. Even the hardened ANBU were disturbed by the adolescent looking boy who slaughtered shinobi as if they were just villagers.

In fact, after being on missions with the demon several of the ANBU quit. Or they transferred. Or settled down. No matter how far rock bottom their life got, they knew there was a level below that. A level that had a boy promise sweet pain for eternity. A boy whose appearance mirrored the Yondaime so much, those who actually knew former hokage couldn't believe their eyes.

During a training exercise, just to screw with them, Kyuubi used a simple henge. He became the Yondaime, mimicking his voice patterns and the way he moved his body. The looks on their faces made the demon smile. It wasn't a pleasant thing. He screwed with them often, using that face on missions sometimes. It even disturbed the enemy as well. The Yondaime was not without his enemies, and his reputation was well earned.

Regardless of that, there were good times on the team.

Once in a while, they were able to relax around each other and horse around.

"You are within range of my divination."

"Wh-" Even if he had his host's memories, even if he'd seen Minato fight it didn't fucking matter. His body had limits. His human body had limits.

"Fuuuck." Kyuubi groaned, wishing he could will his limbs to move. Stupid clan, stupid human.

Stupid human body.

"Hmph. It looks like I win." The Branch member smirked.

Of course, horsing around was basically sparring.

As Kyuubi was left to recuperate, the Branch member swaggered out looking very pleased with himself.

* * *

><p>"So..fox brat, whatcha gonna do?"<p>

"What else, rule the world." Kyuubi said in a bored tone. "Like I have anything else to do with my time."

Of all the ones who knew, Anko was the most calm about it. As if it didn't matter to her. Which, it probably didn't. She took it for a grain of salt, laughed and then tried to kill him. In her words it was to 'check if he was lying'.

He liked her. She had a touch of insanity in her, something that if cultivated could be truly terrifying.

If he cared.

Which he didn't.

But also in her, he saw a mark-a smell. Cheh, he always hated snakes.

Not as much as he disliked frogs. That bastard rode on a frog-ruined his day.

"Well..." And Anko leaned in a she spoke, not caring that she was invading his personal space. In fact, she seemed to enjoy trying to unnerve the demon. "I can help..."

Kyuubi looked up at her, as she was perched upside on a higher branch. He scowled. "Like I need some little girl-"

The kunai sliced into his mask, barely cutting his nose. He jumped up, using the chakra to cling to the tree trunk before propelling himself forward and through the bushin. The area was saturated with her scent, made it a lot harder to catch her. There was a lot of gengetsu layered around, a trap that was placed there beforehand.

Heh, a challenge then.

Three copies appeared behind him, as he whispered the name of the human jutsu under his breath. She was still here, Anko wasn't the type of person to run. No, she was the type to hide and then spring a trap. But she was impatient, and still very young.

A kunai was shoved before his face. His hands grabbed the arm, and pulled-yanking the human out of the tree. One of his hands came up to catch the other arm, gripping it tightly. He looked at her through the slits of his mask.

"Oi...whatsa matter?" His clones had laid their swords on her neck, trapping her. "You made it so easy to snatch you."

The look on her face was true fury.

"Why do you look like him? The Yondaime?" Her killing intent spilled over, the threat in them clear enough. "You already killed him, and now you wear his face!"

He laughed, surprising her and himself. "He died by his own choice." His mask hid his smile but not the blood lust in his eyes. "Just like you."

To his surprise, Anko just smiled. "Not today you bastard." It was then, that Kyuubi saw all the exploding tags on the (fake) body he gripped. And on the trees. And ground. And on himself.

The following explosion created a plume of smoke that could be seen miles away.

Kyuubi had barely managed to get away, having shed his clothes and his mask. "How annoying." He brushed the ashes off his skin, running a hand through his blonde hair.

Anko crouched on the tree limb, still in a threatening position but with her claws sheathed. "You really do look like him." She was breathing heavily, she too barely escaped the explosion radius.

As the ANBU arrived to investigate, Kyuubi breathed out slowly, extending his hand. "I've been told."

* * *

><p>The subsequent chewing out by the Hokage was worth it. It was like watching one of those human accidents, you just couldn't look away. By the end of it, Anko was quite subdued.<p>

"As for you..."

"Ja?"

"You should have known better." It certainly felt weird to chastise a demon. "Even if Anko challenged you, destroying parts of the forest was not needed."

"Oh that? That was her fault." He indicated with his finger. "Explosive tags. I don't use that stuff."

And Anko was giving another round of stern lecture about keeping Konoha safe and green and not blowing up the forest. They need that forest after all. Reforestation was such a pain after all. And Konoha was known for their lumber, the last thing they needed was a crater.

* * *

><p>"I think I know what's wrong."<p>

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto looked up, confused.

"You have lots of chakra, that's why your control is so poor...and why your bushin look like over cooked eggs."

"So what am I going to do?"

"Well I'm not your jonin teacher, but I think I know what might help."

"Really? What?" Naruto asked, looking overjoyed.

"Chakra exercises."

"Eh?"

"DON'T YOU EVER PAY ATTENTION?"

"...No?"

"Okay, what you do is use your chakra to climb trees."

"Woooooah, that sounds awesome." Images flickered in Naruto's head of himself walking on trees and ceilings, he'll be able to do his pranks even better.

Iruka glanced up, before lifting a hand to shoo Naruto away. "You're going to be late Naruto."

"Oh right!" Naruto jumped up, grinning madly. "First day of being a genin!"

He ran off, excitedly with a full belly. The one thing he learned was above all of us, remember to look after one's self. Because if you don't, no one else will.

After all, you're not the only one with problems.

* * *

><p>As always Naruto starts off the conversation, talking about his day in a very animated way. He passed the test and would be a full fledged genin. Cliff notes of the entire thing was basically, Sasuke got his ass kicked and Kakashi was awesome. That and Sakura smiled at him.<p>

"And then Kakashi buried Sasuke in the dirt up to his neck."

Mito pretended to look interested, poking at the ramen noodles with barely repressed boredom. He did not come back to listen to the orange clothed youth blabber to him endlessly about how much Sasuke was a bastard and Sakura was cute and pretty.

Humans put value in the strangest things. If he were Naruto, Sakura would have been given one chance to get stronger. If not, he'll just remove her for a stronger teammate. The weak die and the strong survive.

"How was training?" Please, anything to stop the continuous blabber about Sakura.

"Iruka-sensei said that if I practiced walking up trees I'll be able to learn how to control my chakra better!"

"...You know he did teach that in class, right?"

"He did?"

"..." Sometimes Mito seriously doubted if Naruto had a single brain cell in his body.

"And our first mission is tomorrow. We're gonna rescue a princess, save a kingdom!"

Or kill someone.

"Naruto..."

Naruto looked up, having noticed the serious tone of voice. "Yeah?"

"Don't die." In those two words were the most emotion words that Mito ever said. Later, he would realized it was the residual emotions of his host, the love of a mother for her son. It was enough to make him puke.

"I won't! I'm not gonna die until I become Hokage!" Naruto placed a hand on his chest. "This is my way-my path."

He extended the same hand outward to Mito. "What about you? What is your path?"

And Mito just looked at Naruto, bright blue eyes staring at his.

* * *

><p>"Crappiest mission ever. We had to chase after Tora the cat." Disgruntled Naruto tore into his ramen with great ferocity.<p>

"Did you catch it?"

"Yeah! Course, it was just a stupid cat." Judging by the scratch marks on Naruto's face, one could tell it was a very feisty cat. Probably didn't want to go back to that woman. Mito couldn't blame it really. He'd seen how she treated that thing. Sooner or later, the cat will eat her face.

"How about you? What did you do?" Naruto looked eagerly at his cousin, wanting to hear strange tales of foreign nins and princesses.

"Escort mission." All missions were classified, as they were mainly assassinations.

"Really? Was it fun?"

"No."

"Did you get to fight enemy nin?"

Mito thought back of the rouge ninjas that they encountered, briefly savoring the fear that leaked out of the human's bodies as they watched their leader fall headless to the ground. "Naw."

* * *

><p>The following few days were boring. Naruto was a 'serious' ninja now and did not do pranks. He was a representative of the village and had to be a law abiding citizen. Riiiight. Mito just believed that Naruto just ran out of paint. And time.<p>

He'd watch the container run up at trees and fall straight back down. Then he'd get up and repeat the process. Over and over and over. What a stubborn child. Mito could of helped, but didn't. Why should he? His powers were enough alone to take care of the boy. Besides the last thing he needed was the idiotic boy use his chakra without knowing how. It was a burn to his pride that he was even in this situation. Helping the vessel would only make it worse.

"How'd it go?" Mito asked, forking the meat onto his plate.

"We got a protection mission for an old drunk guy." Naruto hungrily devoured the food, chewing with his mouth open like a barbarian.

"Old drunk guy?"

"Yeah, some sorta builder person."

"Hrm."

And so ended their day. A bit of conversation, eating, training and then the day is ended.

Fuck, life was so boring.

* * *

><p>AN: Aaaah..some explanation. Somewhat. And onto the wave misison!

At least I skipped the bell thing. Really, it wouldn't be that different from the manga. I like how it is in the manga anyways. And everyone and their dog read it, so writing that again would just be torture for you guys. And now for wave which is also one of the more or less most written part of the naruto manga. Dear god. What to do with that.


	6. xmas

Merry Christmas Guys.

Have a present.

* * *

><p>Yamato found himself waiting at the entrance of the Hokage's office with his ANBU team plus one. The certain one was a boy at the age of twelve with the penchant of cloaking himself with a henge of the Fourth Hokage. Unnatural bright blue eyes stared at him, the Kyuubi had been watching him ever since he arrived.<p>

They stood there inconspicuous, well as inconspicuous as you can get with a team of four black clothed masked beings armed to the teeth and who knows what else. The seconds ticked by.

"I know you." Said Fox, pupils dilating. "From before."

From beneath his mask, Yamato could imagine his nostrils flaring with each breathe he took.

"Yes. And I know you." They all did. Twelve years ago all of Konoha were introduced to the Kyuubi once more. But more recently when he first met the Fox as a boy who killed a man casually.

He could see the smile the Fox had. "You smell like that man." His head tilted to the side like a birds. "But he's been dead for a very long time."

Yamato had to admit, he was very curious as to what man he smelled like. Could the Kyuubi be hinting at his genes? Can a person smell that? One had to admit, it was something to be pondered.

Luckily for Yamato's poor brain, the door opened and they were allowed in.

The Hokage sat behind his desk, sets of scrolls surrounding him like a wall. He smiled when they entered.

"Sixth Squad reporting for duty, sir."

"Good morning." The Hokage took out a scroll from the pile and handed it over to him. "This is your next mission. It is simple enough."

Yamato scanned the contents. "Diplomatic? Low risk?" He was confused, why did they need the Kyuubi with them? "Sir, I don't understand."

"I felt that Fox needed a break." The old man smiled when he heard the huff from Fox. "ANBU arn't only about killing, they are also a representative of our military power and of our village."

The Fox's bright yellow hair framed his bone white mask, those bright blue eyes that belonged on another person's face. "Don't make me kill you old man, I'm not a part of your village."

Apparently used to his threats, their leader just laughed. Laughed and proffered a lollipop.

Fox's eye twitched but he did take the orange confection, tucking it into a pocket. When he noticed that everyone else was staring, he glared. "What?"

An awkward silence passed.

"You are all dismissed."

Grateful for the dismissal, he and the rest of his team chorused their reply. "Sir!"

The Fox remained silent.

* * *

><p>(Land of wave)<p>

"You're all to learn tree climbing." Kakashi spoke in such a cheerful voice, truly he believed in them. Ten minutes later all he could do was stare as only Sakura managed it while the two boys continued to fall over themselves.

Ten more minutes later and he dismissed Sakura, telling her to start water walking. The look on her face was well worth it. He shooed her away, focusing instead on the two idiots before him. Sasuke's problem was easily solveable, just more practice. He understood the basics of the concept, it was just he had a sizeable chakra reserve.

Naruto though...

Kakashi watched as Naruto's food blew smashed into the tree itself, making a dent. He had too much chakra. It was the same reason why his bushin's cook themselves. Same reason why he could make Kage Bushin.

What to do? Perhaps exhaust him until he gets too tired? But that wouldn't help him when he's fully refreshed. Wait...he actually did have an idea.

"Oi, Naruto." He called his student over. "Go practice in a different area."

"What!" The loud screechy voice ran in his ears. "Why?"

"So you can have more room to practice." Kakashi mulled over his decision. Doing this would certainly make Naruto learn quicker. "Use Kage Bushin and have them all practice tree climbing."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Grumbling the boy did walk over, creating ten Kage Bushin with the ease that made Kakashi a tiny bit jealous. The kid had stamina, more so than most people could boast. It was the Kyuubi's chakra that did it. Though he had to wonder, if the Kyuubi was outside the cage, what was in it?

* * *

><p>Mito spun about, catching the fist, pulling the owner towards him. He gut kicked the enemy sending him flying. Diplomatic mission his foot. Okay, sure it was pretty simple. Show up, look intimidating, and then go home. Well, guess running into bandits wasn't part of the job. But it sure was fun.<p>

It was right then, right when things were starting to look up did Mito feel this gut wrenching sensation. He dropped to his knees, into water. Into water?

The fox turned, blinking, staring at his paws. Wait, did he get his body back? When? What?

His paws were wet. Curious he sniffed the air. This wasn't a gengetsu and if it were, a very good one. He couldn't smell the lollipop that was tucked in his pocket. He followed the water back to it's origin point.

There before him was set of bars. He knew this place. He knows this place.

Before him on the bars was a seal. His face split open with a monsterous grin.

Oh that little yellow haired bastard. What a fool. With a sure smile he reached out with his massive paws to rip the seal.

"Ah, you probably shouldn't do that, you might explode after all." A small figure stood on his snout, coat flaring dramatically in the non existent wind. "Hello Kyuubi."

The Yondaime smiled at him looking quite healthy for a dead man.


End file.
